Lawn mower sharpener



Dec. 27, 1938.

s. A. M KITTRICK 1 LAWN MOWER SHARPENER Filed Oct. 18, 1957 IN VEN TOR.

' ATTORNEYS.

Patented Dec. 27, 1938 IVLAWNJ'MO'WER snAnPE Em samuerA; M'cKittrick;Sandusky; Ohio Application October-"18,; 1937 vSerial:N o: ,1 69;69(l:

" '4' Claims. (01; 76-8211) This invention: has as one of its obj'ect'slthen provisionof a'device adapted to' be used by hand I for sharpeningthe'blades of lawnamowers either the fixed blade or the rotatable bladesof the lreel; The invention? airn'sito provide a structure of the classdescribed which can be operated simply and advantageously by hand, toprovide novel means for regulating the size of the slot in the bodywhich receives the part to be sharpened, to provide novel means forholding the sharpening member at adjusted angles, and to supply novelmeans whereby an operator can work conveniently, without assuming aposition that would be inconvenient, considered relatively to the factthat the operator may be right-handed or left-handed.

It is within the province of the disclosure to improve generally and toenhance the utility of devices of that type to which the presentinvention appertains.

With the above and. other objects in view, which will appear as thedescription proceeds, the invention resides in the combination andarrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafterdescribed and claimed, it being understood that changes in the preciseembodiment of the invention herein disclosed, may be made within thescope of what is claimed, without departing from the spirit of theinvention.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation showing one form of the invention; I

Fig. 2 is a top plan of the device depicted in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a cross section on the line 33 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a bottom plan showing a modification;

Fig. 5 is a bottom plan showing another modification;

Fig. 6 is a cross section of the structure shown in Fig. 5.

Referring to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, there is provided a tubular body I,having some resiliency, the body being supplied with a slot 2, extendedthe full length of the body. The numeral 3 marks a handle, extendedlengthwise of the body and prolonged beyond one end of the body, thehandle including an angular shank 4, secured to the body at a pointmidway between the ends of the body, and opposite the slot 2, by anysuitable means, such as a bolt 5 and a nut 6, the handle making aconvenient acute angle with respect to the axis of the body I.

A sharpening member, such as a file 1, is 10- cated within the body Iand has its longitudinal edges in: contactwith the inner" surface of thebody; The sharpening member I can be shifted .circumferenti'ally;of: thebody I to make the proper: bevel on the lawn" mower: blade, eitherthefixewrmademrone of the. rotatable blades (not 5 shown), introducedthrough the slot 2. In order to retain the sharpening member I in anyposition to which it may have been adjusted, circumferentially of thebody I, a holding device is provided, and the same may be a wing screw8, 10 threaded into the body I and bearing at its inner end against thesharpening member 1.

In order to vary the width of the slot 2, and thereby to adapt it to thethickness of the blade, an expanding and contracting mechanism for 15the body I is provided, and may be a wing screw 9, threaded intoone sideof the body, one end In of the screw being mounted to rotate in theopposite end of the body and being held against longitudinal movementtherein.

In practical operation, the lawn mower is set on a bench, with thehandle of the mower extending down to the floor. The device is movedalong the rotatable blades of the mower and the member 1 bevels andsharpens them. The fixed blade of the mower is sharpened in the samemanner but since its bevel is opposite to the bevel of the rotatableblades, the transverse slant of the member 1 has to be reversed. This isdone by loosening the nut 6, turning the body I end for end, and thentightening up the nut 6. The operator can do both jobs with the handle 3projecting in the same direction, which is handier than reversing theentire device and Working from the opposite end of the blades. Areversal of the entire device would force a right-handed operator towork left-handed part of the time, and a left-handed operator to workright-handed part of the time, something that would be neitherconvenient nor productive of the best results.

It is not necessary that the blade have contact with the edges of theslot throughout their entire length. In Fig. 4, parts hereinbeforedescribed are designated by numerals already used, with the suffix "a.sitely disposed fixed projections ll located midway between the endsof-the slot 241 and extended inwardly toward each other beyond the edgesof the slot. In Figs. 5 and 6 the projections are rotatable disks l2 and14 held on flat sur- 50 faces 15 of the body by headed screws I 6. Thedisk I4 may be somewhat thicker than the disk 12, to make up fordifferences in thickness in different parts of the same blade. In Figs.5 and 6, parts hereinbefore described have been desig- 55 In Fig. 4, thebody la has oppo- 45 nated by numerals already used, with the suffix bHaving thus described the invention, what is claimed is: r

l. A sharpener of the class described comprising a tubular resilientbody having a slot, means extendedacross the body for changing the widthof the slot, a sharpening member within the body and resting at itsedgesagainst the body, the sharpening member extending across the slot andbeing slidably adjustable circumferentially of the body to vary theangle of said sharpening member, and means for holding the sharpeningmember in place. 7 V

2. A sharpener of the class'described comprising a tubularresilient'body having a slot,

means extending across thebody for changing the width of the slot, asharpening member with- V in the body and extended across the slot, andmeans separate from said first mentioned means for holding thesharpening member in place.

3. A sharpener of the class described, comprising a tubular body havinga slot, a sharpening element within the body and resting on' its edgesagainst the body,the sharpening element having a sharpening surfaceextending across the slot and being slidably adjustablecircumferentially of the body to vary the angle between said sharpeningsurface and the work to be sharpened, and a pressure member for holdingthe sharpening element in. adjusted place, said body having .a singleplace of mounting for said pressure member, the pressure member engagingthe surface of the sharpening element opposite said sharpening surface,whereby the angle between the sharpening element and, the work may bevaried by indefinitely'sm'all amounts. 7

l; A sharpening tool of the class described,

constructed as set forth in claim 3, in combination with a handle spacedfrom the sharpening element and extendedbeyond one end of the for-endwith respect to the work.

SAMUEL A. MCKITTRICK.

